AFTD With Love Campaign - in Memory of Haven Toothman

Vicki Toothman
Flower Mound, TX

About my Fundraiser

With Love we are sharing our story.

We lost Jason's mom twice....the first was a gradual loss of the bright, caring, outgoing and happy mother and friend.....the second was on August 12, 2011. FTD, like many other dementias, happens that way. And hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, we can now explain the odd comments, unusual behaviors, moody days and things that just seemed "off" for Haven, who was always such a delight to be around.

Maybe we should have attributed the symptoms to the disease more quickly since Haven's father passed away in his early 60's with a postmortem diagnosis of Pick's disease. However, at the time, the family was told it was not hereditary. Unfortunately Haven's diagnosis is not a coincidence. We now know that some forms of the disease are inherited. Jason and his brother could have a genetic test done, but at this point we are waiting...and praying. Waiting for more research and medical discoveries. Praying for God's mercy and strength to deal with whatever the future holds.

Haven loved holidays! This may actually be an understatement. She loved celebrations of all kinds, especially a holiday. When going through her closets, we found apparel for every occasion, even Valentine's Day. The other day I saw a woman at Walmart dressed exactly as I know Haven would have....she was wearing a denim dress with a heart necklace, pink tights with red hearts, and red shoes. I smiled with a tear in my eye.

This Valentine's Day, AFTD has launched the "With Love" Campaign to raise awareness of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) and to raise money for care and a cure for the disease. Frontotemporal degeneration is a disease that causes a group of brain disorders characterized by behavior, language and/or motor symptoms. It strikes without regard to age, strength or activity level. It can change the essence of a loved one’s personality. It can halt their words and erase their sense of social graces and acceptable behavior. For many, FTD steals the ability to express emotions and convey feelings with their closest family and friends.

Please join our campaign - search your heart and any donation you would like to provide is greatly appreciated. To donate, click on the green Give Now button at the top of the page. If you cannot donate any money, no worries. Thank you for taking the time to read this and learn a little bit more about FTD. To learn even more, please visit the AFTD website, http://www.theaftd.org/ or feel free to reach out to us.